One of the free items at Jewel this weekend was a package of Sahale snacks. I got the glazed almonds with cranberries. All the others looked intriguing, as well. Really tasty. Will definitely add this to my list of snacks I'll consider buying in the future when I need something small but excellent.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

Spurred on by the free Sahale honey almonds from Jewel last week, I bought a couple more flavors this week (all on sale). This time, I got maple pecans and pomegranate pistachios. Both are very nice. Think I might prefer the pistachios, but hard to say. Might have to do more research.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

Looking for frozen vegetables at Mariano's (spending a gift card), I ran across something unfamiliar, but which I decided to try. I know that it is a trend now to use chopped cauliflower in place of rice, but not being worried too much about carbs, I hadn't tried it. But the Alexia Cauliflower Risotto with Parmesan Cheese and Sea Salt sounded tasty. There is really no danger of this hurting the popularity of real risotto, but all in all, if one is looking for an easy, quick side dish, this was really tasty. It's pretty much cauliflower, cream, butter, cheese, and seasonings—so not really a surprise that it would taste good. Definitely not a low-cal dish, but if you're avoiding carbs, this might be the side dish of your dreams.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

Unbelievable. I've often thought there were some things that simply would never show up Chicagoland, however inclusive and exotic we became -- like fermented mare's milk. Seriously.

And yet there it was, at Garden Fresh in Buffalo Grove -- from Russia, rather than Mongolia, so called Kumis, rather than Airag. But with a picture of a horse and the translation beneath it "horse milk." And next to it, your choice of camel milk or goat milk.

So if you've always wanted to try it, here's your chance.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

Cynthia wrote:Unbelievable. I've often thought there were some things that simply would never show up Chicagoland, however inclusive and exotic we became -- like fermented mare's milk. Seriously.

And yet there it was, at Garden Fresh in Buffalo Grove -- from Russia, rather than Mongolia, so called Kumis, rather than Airag. But with a picture of a horse and the translation beneath it "horse milk." And next to it, your choice of camel milk or goat milk.

Cynthia wrote:Unbelievable. I've often thought there were some things that simply would never show up Chicagoland, however inclusive and exotic we became -- like fermented mare's milk. Seriously.

And yet there it was, at Garden Fresh in Buffalo Grove -- from Russia, rather than Mongolia, so called Kumis, rather than Airag. But with a picture of a horse and the translation beneath it "horse milk." And next to it, your choice of camel milk or goat milk.

I think I've seen camel milk at Fresh Farms (Niles north). Is it true that unfermented mare's milk is severely laxative?

What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

I have no idea, as all the mare's milk I drank in Mongolia was fermented. The one thing that I found interesting about it is that mare's milk is very high in vitamin C, which is why the Mongols who live traditionally are so healthy even though they just have meat and dairy.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

To veer slightly....Do you mean Fresh Farms on Touhy or Fresh Farms on Golf?I'd suggest we refer to them as FF east and FF west, since Golf is actually north of Touhy.[I shop at the one on Golf when I can't handle the thought of the crowds at Touhy. The Touhy location is undoubtedly the superior one, but the Golf one is still better than the other area grocery stores. Although, to veer further, the Tony's on Greenwood is pretty good.]

When I shop at a store with options from many countries, along with whatever is on my shopping list, I always try to grab something I've never tried before. This week, at Tony's Fresh Market (formerly Tony's Finer Foods) I found a little niche with a few kinds of Hungarian egg noodles. I had a roasted chicken carcass in the fridge waiting to be turned into soup, so the ultra-thin Hungarian soup noodles seemed to be the perfect choice.

These lovely, skinny noodles are mighty quick cooking. Directions say add to simmering soup, bring back to boil, cook for 1/2 minute, then remove pot from heat and cover. In two minutes, the noodles are done. I think the noodles more than doubled in size -- though seemed actually to increase in number rather than in width.

Not an "oh, my gosh, you have to try this" item, like some of the things I've posted about, but definitely a fun addition to the larder.

And speaking of the name change for Tony's -- I used to say, not quite jokingly, that if the name of a store included "fresh" or "produce," it was almost certainly one of the big, multi-ethnic food emporia that are such a delight to those of us who like experimentation and exploration. (Thinking of Valli Produce, Produce World, Fresh Farms, Harvest Fresh, EuroFresh, Barrio Fresh, etc.) Tony's was the exception, with "Finer Foods." But now, it is "Fresh Market" -- and I can't help but wonder if it was to align with that "fresh" naming tradition.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

Topoloveni Magiun de prune (plum spread or butter), found at Fresh Farms on Touhy. This Romanian product is pure plums (no sugar) and is quite thick and a nice mix of sweet and tart. I like it with good cream cheese on an English muffin. It even has its own Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/magiunPruneTopoloveni/

Every once in a while, I try a new product that I find while walking through the grocery stores in the area. In the last week, I tried a couple.

The first item was Burts Potato Chips' Guinness flavored potato chips. The potato chips were fairly thick and had a very strong flavor of Guinness Stout. If you like Guinness, you will like these chips. I am not as keen on that flavor. However, I am going to try to make something with them as they are really good when dipped in a hearty BBQ sauce. Not a bad pick-up for $0.99 at the local Kroger's bargain bin.

The second item is actually a new product recently carried by Kroger stores, Saverne Artisanal Kraut. It comes in a 16 oz jar. We really like the Craft beer flavored variety and have used it in several of my MIL's traditional sauerkraut recipes. You can really taste the beer and there is a good amount of caraway.

Picked up a package of Naturalne Zbozowe at KD Market. These look a bit like the rice crackers one finds in the "gluten free" aisle. The name is kind of translated on the package as "Cereal biscuits without wheat flour." What they are is sesame and sunflower seed "cookies" about the size of a silver dollar. I had actually expected savory, based on their appearance, but they are in fact just a bit sweet and are the sort of thing that is perfect for afternoon tea or sitting around sipping coffee with friends. But a pleasant discovery.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

DANG Sticky-Rice Chips, Sriracha flavor. Made in Thailand, distributed in U.S. by Dang Foods.

Package reads "Dang, that's good!" -- and I had to agree. Very tasty when you need something crunchy. Light touch with the Sriracha, so no need to be fearful (though those who like blinding pain might be disappointed). Not worth going out of your way, but if you see some and want something pleasant and crunchy but don't necessarily want the same old thing, they fill the bill.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

I've always been curious about the little foil containers of pasztet (Polish paté) that line the shelves of a lot of the stores that cater to an Eastern European clientele. They're not refrigerated and they're dead cheap. So I picked one up during my last visit to Valli -- got Profi brand pasztet wiejski z grzybami. I'm not even going to guess at the pronunciation, but I do know that means country paté with mushrooms. Now this is not going to fool anyone into believing you got it at an upscale French restaurant -- but it's actually surprisingly tasty -- no stronger than good liver sausage, but far more silken, and this one was dotted with little bits of mushroom. Not going to change your life, but it's a nice treat at a bargain price, should you be craving a bit of paté.

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

Cynthia wrote:I've always been curious about the little foil containers of pasztet (Polish paté) that line the shelves of a lot of the stores that cater to an Eastern European clientele ... it's actually surprisingly tasty -- no stronger than good liver sausage, but far more silken ... it's a nice treat at a bargain price, should you be craving a bit of paté.

I first came across these, in various flavors (goose liver, duck liver, pork liver, mushroom, even wild boar) when I lived in Santiago, Chile, and made them part of my Sunday afternoon routine. Back then, most businesses in Chile weren't open on Sundays, so Sunday afternoons were spent relaxing, snacking --- empanadas, bread, paté, pebre, avocados, cheese, and of course, wine --- and chatting with friends and family. As I recall, the tinned patés I came across in Chile were locally made. There's no particular Polish cultural presence in Chile, but there is a German one, so maybe that's what made them popular there. Since I've moved back, I've found a wide variety of flavors of them at the nearest Garden Fresh Market, and although I haven't studied them closely, it's my impression that they're Polish products.

Katie wrote:I've found a wide variety of flavors of them at the nearest Garden Fresh Market, and although I haven't studied them closely, it's my impression that they're Polish products.

The ones I've seen are definitely "Product of Poland." I agree, Garden Fresh is a great resource. In addition, KD Markets, which are very heavily Polish, also carry a wide range -- along with a lot of other Polish goodies. (Both are also great places for "ends," the meat ends sold at discount, which offers a great way to sample deli products at bargain prices.)

Now that I've discovered one, I'll be trying others. Very useful, being able to have a little paté handy for "emergencies."

"All great change in America begins at the dinner table." Ronald Reagan

TomInSkokie wrote:Midnight Moon aged goat cheese, similar to gouda, by Cypress Grove Creamery in California, on sale at Mariano's.One of the best cheeses I have ever tasted.

Very nice indeed, though I was hoping for a bit more in the protein crystal crunch department. Healthy discount as stated. Thanks for the heads up Tom. As an aside, for the vegetarians in the bunch, its made with vegetarian rennet.